NEWS IN BRIEF

CONSUMER Facebook has whittled its initial list of 12 potential PR agencies down to a shortlist of five. The social networking site is expected to appoint an agency in the next week.

AGENCY Chime Communications has posted an operating profit up 21.8 per cent to £7.3m for the first half of this year. The PR arm of Bell Pottinger Group reported a 13.3 per cent profit rise to £4.4m.

CONSUMER Sky Bet, the betting service owned by Sky, has brought in Pitch PR on a consumer brief. The agency is charged with creating campaigns around Premier League football and betting on reality TV programmes such as The X Factor.

AGENCY Hill & Knowlton is to bring in senior Coca-Cola public affairs and comms director Carol Essex as V-P business development and marketing for the EMEA region. She reports to EMEA chairman and CEO Andrew Laurence.

CORPORATE Ethiad Airways has hired Four Communications to handle its UK PR after a competitive pitch. The agency reports into vice-president of corporate comms Iain Burns.

CONSUMER The £20m Beatles-themed Hard Day’s Night Hotel in Liverpool has brought in Eulogy on a consumer brief, ahead of its grand opening later this year.

CONSUMER Train industry group ATOC is using Clarion Communications to increase coverage of its Railcard Epic Savings campaign. Clarion will target the three key Railcard groups: Young Persons; Family; and Seniors.

CONSUMER Williams Media Publishing is seeking an agency to launch its ‘Watch It Do It’ brand of books. The Independent newspaper named its children’s cookbook as the second-best on the market in July. MD Jason Williams is leading the search.

AWARDS The Queen’s Award for Enterprise and Promotion is inviting nominations from the PR industry. Up to ten awards are given out each year to key players in business enterprise. Nominations deadline is 31 October. Visit www.queensawards.org.uk.